Volkswagen Caddy 2018 review

The Maxi Crewvan looks compact but is deceptively spacious, riding on a 3006mm wheelbase (which exceeds that of several 4x4 dual-cab utes) and is 324mm longer than its short-wheelbase Caddy stablemate. However, with minimal overhangs front and rear and a still tidy 12.2 metre turning circle, the overall length of 4878mm is easy to manoeuvre and park in busy city and suburban environments.

The 3006mm wheelbase exceeds that of some utes.

Its front-wheel drive layout features electric power-assisted rack and pinion steering, powerful four-wheel disc brakes, MacPherson strut front suspension and a leaf spring beam axle rear suspension set-up designed for load carrying, with big rubber cones mounted on the chassis rails above each rear spring which compress under heavy payloads to provide additional support.

Sliding doors on each side (with opening windows) provide ample access to the 60/40 split-fold rear seat. The twin barn doors at the rear have a wiper/washer and 180-degree opening for easy forklift access. A single swing-up tailgate and side windows in the cargo bay are also useful options.

Access is easy with sliding doors on the side and barn doors on the back.

All-round vision is pretty good for a van, with the rear barn doors being asymmetrically split (one wide, one narrow) to minimise obstruction in the rear mirror. The centre rear-seat headrest is also slightly lower than the outer pair to further aid the driver’s view.

The passenger-side door mirror is larger and more rectangular than the driver’s side, with a convex lens to improve ‘blind-side' vision, while the enormous windscreen provides a panoramic view of the road in a cabin that feels spacious and airy with plenty of headroom for tall drivers.

The front seats provide good upper thigh support, along with adjustable lumbar support in the driver’s backrest. The rear seat has adequate leg room, but there’s no rake adjustment for the backrest, and three large adults are squeezed for shoulder space as the Caddy’s overall width is about the same as a dual cab ute. Short trips with a five-person crew would be fine, but longer journeys should be as a four-seater.

It can seat five, but the Caddy is perhaps best as a four-seater.

VW claims a frugal combined (urban, extra-urban) figure of only 6.0L/100km, and after our test - which involved a variety of roads and loads - the trip computer and bowser readings worked out at 7.8L/100km. Based on these figures you could expect a driving range of more than 700km from its 55-litre tank.

That's excellent ‘real world’ economy, especially given the official figure is achieved in ideal lab conditions and that the auto stop/start was switched off for the duration of our test.

With a 1524kg tare weight and 2249kg GVM, the Maxi Crewvan offers a useful 725kg payload rating. Up to 100kg of that can be carried on the roof, which provides four mounting points per side designed to take VW genuine accessory roof racks. However, unlike the SWB Van, the Maxi Crewvan is not rated for towing.

The Crewvan offers a handy 725kg payload rating.

The hardboard-lined cargo bay, which offers 1650 litres of load volume, is cavernous for a vehicle of this size. And its overall length of 1566mm can be extended to 1823mm with the rear seats tumbled forward, increasing cargo volume to an impressive 3950 litres.

There’s also 1170mm between the rear wheel arches, which is just enough width to take a standard Aussie pallet if required. Six pivoting D-shackles are set into the padded load floor for securing loads and there’s also an LED roof light and 12-volt outlet.

Cargo space maxes out at 3950 litres.

Numerous cabin storage options include a bottle holder and storage pocket in each front door, open storage compartments on top of the dash pad and above the single glove box, a centre console with open storage cubby in front of the gearshift, four cup holders (two for rear passenger use) and a small oddments tray in the centre. There are also small storage drawers under each front seat plus a full-width shelf above.

However, as we often find in crew-type vans, rear seat passengers can feel more like cargo than crew. There are no storage pockets on the rear of the front seats, in the sliding doors or under the seats. Strangely, there are bottle holder/storage modules on each side of the cargo floor, but they’re positioned behind the seats and not accessible when seated. 

No ANCAP rating but the rear seat does include ISOFIX child seat fixtures on the two outer seating positions, plus full lap-sash belts and head restraints for three.

There’s also front and side/head airbags for driver and front passenger, plus multi-collision braking, an electronic stabilisation program, brake assist, traction control, electronic diff lock, hill-hold control and daytime running lights, but a rear view camera is only available as an option and only with the optional swing-up tailgate. 

Driver assistance technology includes driver fatigue detection, rear park distance control with audible warning and forward collision warning with city emergency braking, but there is no AEB.